Drive Like There's No Tomorrow!

Drive Like There's No Tomorrow!

Have you ever lost your driver's license? I'm not asking if you've ever misplaced it - but have you ever had it taken away from you?

Once I got old enough to get even my learner's permit (had to drive with an adult licensed driver starting at age 14 and until I was 16) the worst thing my parents could do to me by way of discipline was to take my driving privileges away.

I've never had it taken away due to any problems with traffic tickets, etc. but, maybe you have. IF you obeyed the law at that point (and, many - if not most - don't) and did not drive, you found out what an inconvenience it was to depend upon others to drive you where you needed to go.

One of the saddest things to me is when a person gets to the point that, due to their age and declining abilities, they must surrender their license...usually unwillingly. Now, true, for the safety of all involved, this needs to be done and usually BEFORE it actually happens.

Regardless, it's sad.

The main reason it is so sad is because, usually, this is the last bit of real freedom that they have. Who WOULDN'T be reluctant to give that up? When they surrender their license and their driving privileges they now are pretty much totally dependent on other people for just about everything.

Do you realize how long it has been for them since this were true?

They can no longer do what they want to do when they want to do it or go where they want to go when they want to go!

What does this have to do with our "theme" for this week's topic? EVERYTHING!

It goes hand-in-hand with yesterday's thought about not expecting others to do everything for us but to "get behind the wheel" and take control of our own lives!

THIS IS NOT A BURDEN...this is a blessing, a privilege and a right!

Why in the world would you want to hand that over to anyone else?

Like the elderly person that wants to hang on to their driving privilege as long as possible (FREEDOM!) so should each of us do ALL that we can for as LONG as we can to make sure we are DOING ALL that we can to live the life of our dreams!

Do NOT surrender! Do NOT give up! Do NOT give in!

It is YOUR life! It is YOUR dream! It is YOUR goal!

Get behind that wheel, take control of your own destiny and "DRIVE" LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW!

(Yeah, I'm getting a little excited here!)

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and GO FOR IT!

And, hey, as you do so...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Get Out of the Back Seat!

Get Out of the Back Seat!

To be honest, I've never sat in the back seat of a "limo". Maybe one day I'll get the pleasure of doing so on a special occasion, but as of yet I've not done so.

Right now, as it is in my "normal" life I'd still rather drive than ride. Yes, I'm one of those "back seat drivers" that sits in the FRONT seat! But, even besides that, I'd rather drive and be focused on that than to sit idly in the passengers seat.

I can't even imagine what it'd be like to be driven around in the back seat of a limousine. I'm sure there's lots of work that could be done and caught up on during the ride, but I still can't even imagine that.

In today's podcast I tell the story of a guy that worked for one of our presidents and, as a perk of his position, he was driven wherever he wanted to go in the back of a limousine. When this president's term ended he was out of a job and back to "normal life" like the rest of us. He talks about how one of his first days at home when he was ready to go somewhere he went out to the car and automatically climbed into the back seat and waited for someone to drive him. Obviously that didn't happen and he was rudely welcomed back to the "real world".

So, here's the thought process for today...are YOU "sitting in the back seat" waiting for someone to drive you?

What do I mean? Well, let's do a short review of what we've talked about so far this week. On Monday I talked about YOU being in control of what "car" you drove each and every day in regards to either a positive or a negative attitude. Based on which one you chose you would likely notice lot of the same "automobiles" (positive or negative) all around you. You would tend to "see" the same thing that you were "driving". Yesterday I discussed the need for us to be "road ready" for the journey that each of us are on each and every day as we move on toward our goals and dreams. What are YOU doing to prepare?

So, here's the deal for today...when I talk about how important it is for YOU to "drive" your own "automobile" and how important it is to make sure that you are prepared for the journey and the roadblocks that may come along the way then I would hope that each of us would also realize the importance of US doing the actual driving!

GET OUT OF THE BACKSEAT and quit waiting for someone else to do the "driving" for you!

One of the dangers of buying and gathering great information in this area (Jim Rohn, Bob Proctor, Mike Spillman - snuck that one in there!) is that many tend to gather all of this information and almost expect their lives to automatically take off just from HAVING this information in their possession. They are "sitting in the back seat" waiting for someone else to drive their future!

IT WON'T HAPPEN!

Is it good to gather this information? Of course it is! That's part of the preparation process that I talked about yesterday! But when will you move beyond the preparation and actually move on to the DOING or the DRIVING?

C'mon...haven't you sat back there long enough - going nowhere - waiting for someone to "drive" for you?

Get out of the back seat and get behind the wheel...it's YOUR future!

And, as you "drive" be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Are YOU "Road Ready"?

Are YOU "Road Ready"?

No, I didn't ask if you were "road WEARY"...some of you may be if you are driving long distances this summer with your kids on vacation!

Continuing with the "theme" that I began yesterday in talking about us "driving" our vehicle of choice (either a positive or negative attitude), I want us to consider what we are (or aren't) doing to prepare ourselves for our daily journey.

My guess is that, if you HAVE gone on that family vacation, you probably had your automobile checked out to make sure everything was in good working order before you began the trip, right?

You wanted to make sure your tires were in good shape and that they had the right amount of air in them. You also wanted to make sure you had enough oil, antifreeze and even windshield wiper fluid for the trip. And, since it is summertime, you also wanted to make sure your air conditioner was in good working order.

You PREPARED yourself for the journey to come.

So, why should we do anything less when it comes to the journey we take each and every day? Why should we do any less when it comes to the journey we have chosen that will take us to our goals and dreams?

Too many people take off on this most important journey (yes, even our DAILY journey is of great importance - our days add up to weeks, months and years!) without proper - if any - preparation!

And we wonder why so many people - including ourselves - fail?

So, what do YOU need to do to prepare for the journey? What do YOU need to do to prepare for your journey TODAY?

You see, it's different for each one of us (to some extent) because each of us are in our own unique situation! Just like you would never take a luxury automobile on a cross-country "all terrain" road race, so will you not prepare yourself inadequately if you know you are going to be facing a LARGE load of negativity in your day.

Make sense?

If you tend to work in an environment full of negativity then you must REALLY make sure you have prepared yourself for this onslaught. It's kind of like putting on snow chains when you KNOW you are going to encounter those types of conditions -- you want to get as much "grip" as you can so that you don't slip and slide out of control.

You knew that I would say this to you sooner or later....it's up to YOU to prepare for YOUR journey!

No one else can do that for you and no one else WILL do that for you.

So, are you ready? Are you "ROAD READY" for the journey ahead today, this week, this month?

Are you "road ready" for the journey that is leading you toward your goals and dreams?

If not, how do you expect to make it to your destination?

Think about it and PREPARE for the journey! I'm here to help in any way that I can (part of the preparation process) but, again, it is totally up to YOU to get it done for yourself.

And, as you do so....

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

What Are YOU Driving?

What Are YOU Driving?

If you were driving the car you see pictured here, do you think you'd get noticed? Sure you would! Most people would be wanting to know how in the world you squeezed your body into that little bitty cartoon car!

In today's podcast I talk about how it seems that, when you purchase a certain type of automobile, you begin to notice how many of that same type of automobile you pass every day! Did they all of a sudden magically appear now that you own one of those types of automobile?

Of course not! They existed all along, didn't they? But YOUR focused changed because of what YOU were driving. Change your car and you will see the same thing happen again. At least that's the way it has been in my life and I don't think you and I are that much different from one another.

It's the same way with how we approach each and every day! It all depends on what you "drive" as to what you "see" and/or encounter during your day.

You've heard the phrase, "...got up on the wrong side of the bed", right? What does that mean? I never knew there was a "right" side and a "wrong" side, did you?

The idea behind that phrase is that the day did not start out very well for that person from the moment they rolled out of bed....must have been on the "wrong" side because if it had been on the "right" side then everything would be great! (Hey, if that's the way it worked I think once I discovered the "wrong" side, I'd make SURE I got up and out on the OTHER side every day!).

Whatever attitude you start off the day with will be the same attitude that you encounter from everyone and everything throughout your day. Haven't you noticed this already?

When you get up "on the wrong side of the bed" haven't you noticed how cranky your spouse and kids are? Shoot, even the cat and dog are kind of crabby! Then, as you go to work it seems that if EVERYONE got up on the wrong side of the bed! Hey, how did I miss that memo that today was "GET UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED DAY"?

But then, one morning you strike it lucky and actually get up on the RIGHT side of the bed! (Have you noticed that you never hear that phrase though?). All is good, the birds are singing, the sun is shining and your whole family is happy! The people at work are happy - your whole world is happy!

What changed?

YOU DID!

That's right. The people around you - your family, your co-workers, etc. - are the SAME people that are around you each and every day. They were there yesterday, they are here today and they will STILL be there tomorrow!

But, it's what you're "driving" that has made the difference! Just like the cars that you "suddenly" notice because of what you are driving, your focus for your day - what you will SEE and encounter in those around you - will be determined by what you "drive" for the day.

Actually, to be more accurate, instead of saying what YOU drive, it should be what drives you!

And, yes, as always, this IS a choice!

It's as if you can walk into your garage and choose whether you want to drive an old clunker OR the car of your dreams! YOU decide what you will "drive" each day (or what "drives" you) by your attitude that you begin with each and every day.

You know it's true, don't you? You've experienced it too many times for you NOT to know it's true.

So, what will it be for you today?

Though it's not always easy, I KNOW you'd much rather drive the car of your dreams today...the positive attitude that will direct your focus on the positive people and things all around you as you go through the day.

Right?

And as you do so be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Live a Life of Truth

Live a Life of Truth

Truth.

One definition found at dictionary.com for the word TRUTH is "conformity with fact or reality".

That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? What we SAY or DO - if it's based on TRUTH - will conform with FACT or REALITY.

IF it's based on truth - don't miss that point!

All week long I have been discussing our tendency to live a life of lies in many areas and, particularly, in the area of our own progress or lack of it toward our goals and dreams.

We do it to make ourselves feel better yet, in the end, we actually feel worse. We not only make ZERO progress, we actually take several steps back when we live this life of deception.

So now - as always - it is totally up to YOU as to whether you want to keep living that way OR change and live a life of TRUTH.

Yes, sometimes the truth does hurt! But again, how has living a life of lies and following the path of least resistance worked out for you so far?

Unless you've gotten so far away from truth that you've become callous to it - the more you've lived a life of lies the more the truth hurts when you are exposed to it and challenged by it!

There's no where to hide when you remove the excuses, is there? It's basically you standing there naked before the TRUTH about you and your efforts.

But now think about it this way... this can be very exciting and one of those "life moments" that can change the course of your own personal history!

IF you decide to act upon it.

Once you begin to live a life of truth - even when it hurts and even when you'd rather take the easy way out and lie to yourself - the easier you will find it is to live this life of truth!

You will become disciplined and better prepared for this journey toward your goals and dreams.

Hey, have you ever began a workout in order to get in shape? Was it easy at first? Was it fun at first? Did you quit right off?

Many do quit too soon because of the very fact that it's not easy or fun. So, they give up and continue to live the unhealthy life that they have lived for so long and THOUGHT they wanted to get away from. Until they found out that it wasn't going to be easy!

But then there are those that fight through the pain and the sweat and the unpleasantness of getting your body to do what it is unaccustomed to doing - MOVING! Those that stick it out begin to see results and begin to find that the longer they do this exercise routine the easier it becomes. And, yes, torture becomes more of a challenge and even fun along the way.

Why? Because you're body (and mind) has begun to adapt and make the changes that come with the discipline practiced to fight through the first and most difficult part of the program.

So it is with living a life of truth.

You can give up and quit because it's not easy or you can tough it out and DISCIPLINE yourself to stick to your decision to make positive changes in your life.

And, yes, you CAN do it!

And I'm here to help you any way I can. Just remember that deception and denial will lead to nothing but disaster and that TRUTH can actually set you free!

Think about it and then begin to live a life of truth!

And, as you do so be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike